Android Q Beta adds Dark Theme

The Verge

It’s a trend we’re seeing across platforms and it’s making a system-wide debut on Android Q Beta 3. Dark Mode, or Dark Theme as Google calls it, comes to the latest version of the operating system that just dropped. And as The Verge’s Dieter Bohn points out, it’s true black and not dark grey, which theoretically could mean this could help save battery life. To activate it, you just need to pull down the Quick Settings menu, tap a button, and watch the interface change. If you use battery saver mode on Android 10 Q, that’ll also trigger Dark Theme.

As expected, the feature is rolling out to first-party Android apps. For third-party developers, Google plans to develop an API to let these apps know when Dark Theme is on, so their app switches to it as well. The company is giving developers an option to add one line of code into their app to create a “quick-and-dirty” version of Dark Theme. This might be a hack, but it could be used in the meantime before they implement a more elegant Dark Theme—if they choose to do so.

Google refocuses efforts on Privacy and Security for all users

Google is changing the image of Android OS with the new Android Q OS which has major security and privacy features that could give Android a much anticipated edge against iOS. Apple has famously rallied around privacy and security through various security features. Google promised to give Android users greater control of their personal information and data. There will be tools within Android Q to Auto-Delete browsing history and location information, as well as Incognito Mode across various system apps.

Google is really rallying around privacy and security, the difference from Apple's approach is that Google is making these features more accessible even through lower cheaper smartphones running on older hardware. In an OP/ED in the New York Times, titled Privacy Should Not Be a Luxury Good,  Google CEO Sundar Pichai discussed the company-wide push towards safeguarding user privacy, or at least giving users the ability to decide and control what they do with their information. Google will employ various strategies to safeguard user's personal data.

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Google to bring Full Coverage feature and podcasts right into Search

Google’s Search engine has a lot of nifty tricks you can use it for. One of the newest tricks it’s getting revolves around news and podcasts. Google Search will be getting support for Google News’ Full Coverage feature. Launched last year, this feature introduces a more complete picture of a certain story. It introduces a timeline of how events unfold, so you get a better understanding of how it happened. As mentioned, this was unveiled in the Google News app, but it’ll be making its way to Search.

Search will also be getting support for podcasts. This means you can play them right from Search. It’ll surface relevant episodes of a given program based both on the title and content. You can even save episodes for later listening. It isn’t clear if podcasters will gain access to analytics based on those who listen right from Search. According to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, "These are all examples of how we are making search even more helpful for our users by surfacing the right information in the right context."

Source: TechCrunch

Google consolidates Home and Nest smart home initiatives

Fresh from Google IO 2019 is the news that Google Home and Nest devices are now consolidated into a unified smart home hardware and software initiative. The first product under this brand is the Google Nest Hub. A 10-inch smart display with Google Home functionality as well as a camera for video calls (or for security when you're away), this device can be anyting from a smart-speaker, kitchen TV, or digital photo frame.

Coming to Canada for the first time, the Google Nest Hub comes in a variety of colours including, chalk, charcoal, aqua and sand. Google says You can buy Hub for $169, and starting today, you can pre-order from the Google Store.  Google also has some deals for pre-orders of the Nest Hub between May 7 and May 27, Customers will get a Google Home Mini for free. Starting today, pricing for Google Home speakers will be $129 and Google Home Max will be $399.